Indiana's Jordan Hulls (1) dribbles into Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Feb 27, 2011, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State won 82-61. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Deshaun Thomas, last year’s Indiana Mr. Basketball, came out of a slump with 22 points to lead No. 2 Ohio State past Indiana 82-61 on Sunday.

Thomas scored all the points during a 14-3 first-half run that spanned 3:36 and turned the game into a rout. He had managed just 13 points in his last seven games.

William Buford added 15 points and Jon Diebler and David Lighty each had 11 for the Buckeyes (27-2, 14-2 Big Ten), likely to ascend to No. 1 next week after top-ranked Duke lost at Virginia Tech on Saturday night. The defeat was Indiana’s sixth in a row to Ohio State.

Verdell Jones III had 14 points for the Hoosiers (12-17, 3-13), who have lost six in a row and remain the only Big Ten team without a road win this season (0-10).

Jared Sullinger, leading Ohio State in scoring (17.8) and rebounding (9.9), picked up two fouls early and was limited to five points and seven rebounds in just 13 minutes.

Kuric had a potential game-winning layup blocked at the end of regulation, but atoned by hitting a 3-pointer early in the extra session then adding the clinching dunk with less than a second on the clock.

Then things got a little bizarre.

The clock didn’t stop after the basket, which put the Cardinals up 62-57, and the horn sounded. Some Louisville cheerleaders on the baseline raced onto the floor, with one male cheerleader grabbing the ball and tossing it in the air.

Officials called Louisville for a delay of game technical foul and put .5 seconds back on the clock. Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs knocked down two free throws and the Panthers had one last chance to tie, but Gibbs couldn’t get off a desperation heave in time.

•No. 8 Purdue 67, Michigan State 47

EAST LANSING, Mich. — JaJuan Johnson had 20 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks to lead No. 8 Purdue to a win over Michigan State.

The Boilermakers (24-5, 13-3 Big Ten) have won six straight to surge into contention for the conference title.

They took control with a 16-5 run midway through the first half and turned the road game into a rout with a 19-4 spurt in the second half that gave them a 57-35 lead.

Purdue won both regular-season matchups against the Spartans for the first time since 1997 and handed them their worst home loss since Duke’s 22-point win at the Breslin Center on Dec. 3, 2003.

•No. 12 Wisconsin 78, Northwestern 63

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin is perfect at home for the third time under Bo Ryan.

Jon Leuer scored 26 points and No. 12 Wisconsin beat Northwestern 78-63 in its regular-season home finale Sunday night, securing a perfect 16-0 record at the Kohl Center this season.

Jordan Taylor scored 16 points and Keaton Nankivil added 15 for Wisconsin (22-6, 12-4 Big Ten), which has won seven of its last eight overall. The Badgers finish the regular season with a pair of road games, at Indiana on Thursday and at Ohio State on Sunday.

•No. 14 Connecticut 67, Cinncinnati 59

CINCINNATI — Kemba Walker scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half, and No. 14 Connecticut snapped its two-game losing streak by pulling away from Cincinnati for a victory.

The Huskies (21-7, 9-7 Big East) hadn’t lost three in a row all season. They led for all but 29 seconds against Cincinnati (22-7, 9-7), which was coming off some of its biggest wins of the season.

Walker, who leads the conference in scoring at 23 points per game, had only nine when a fan sitting courtside started taunting him. Walker made three consecutive baskets that built Connecticut’s lead to 11 points, then smiled at the fan as he went down the court.

Xavier (22-6, 13-1) retained its one-game lead over Temple heading into the final week of the regular season. The Musketeers are trying for at least a share of their fifth straight regular season conference title.

Dayton (19-10, 7-7) trailed by 11 before a late comeback tied it at 59 with 1:41 to go. Holloway made two free throws, then hit a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left for a 64-59 advantage. He scored 16 of Xavier’s final 24 points.

Leslie McDonald added 15 points off the bench to break out of a recent shooting slump for the Tar Heels (22-6, 12-2), who led the entire night for their 15th win in 17 games. John Henson added 10 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots as they made up for a shaky shooting night with a balanced scoring effort to go with a strong showing on the boards.

Freshman Terrell Stoglin scored a season-high 28 points to lead the Terrapins (18-11, 7-7), while Jordan Williams had 16 points and a career-high 19 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute. They got almost no help from their teammates, though, who combined for 32 points on 11-for-37 shooting.